Exodus
by Makare24
Summary: Songfic based on the song by Evanescence. Jounouchi decides to run away and soon finds himself regretting more than he bargained for.


Exodus

By: Rikku24

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the song Exodus by Evanesence.

My first song fic. I wrote it when I was feeling real sad. I love this song and I love Jounouchi (Joey) so I put them two in one story and this is what I got. There is a sad ending. 

Rikku24: Poor Jounouchi, what did I do?

Jounouchi: What _did_ you do?

Rikku24: Read and find out ^______^

Jounouchi: -_________________-''

_(Words of song. Lalalalalala)_

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

_(My black backpack's stuffed with broken dreams_

_Twenty bucks should get me through the week)_

Katsuya Jounouchi laid back against the rough stone wall. He was in a dark alley filled with old cardboard boxes and some scattered trash cans. The nearby buildings were all long since abandoned. Jounouchi was in the old part of the city. His parents would never look here. 

He opened up his backpack and his eyes fell on his Duel Monsters Deck. To become the best duelist ever had been his dream but now it was shattered and broken like glass. He had some money, about $22.60. A pillow and a blanket were his only comfort. He would be able to survive at least a week. Jounouchi would just have to deal with any problems later. 

_(Never said a word of discontentment_

_Fought it a thousand times but now_

_I'm leaving home)_

Jounouchi had thought over all the pros and cons of running away several times and had almost ran away several times. His blind sister was the only one who had held him back. Jounouchi was a good kid but had little friends. He made a few bad test grades at school and his parents were ready to kill him. Jounouchi's dad had even threatened his life several times. They took away the computer and Jounouchi's other joys. He was only able to save his cards by hiding them. 

Eventually the emotional pain that his parents caused him was too much and he left his home. Jounouchi would **never** return there. 

_(Here in the shadows_

_I'm safe_

_I'm free_

_I've nowhere else to go but_

_I cannot stay where I don't belong)_

Jounouchi sat there in the shadow of the alleyway, thinking. He was safe and free from the parents he had feared so much and hated. It wasn't his mom's fault, she just followed his dad's lead and delivered punishment when and how she saw fit. 

Jounouchi thought of places he could go. The old part of city wasn't for him. It was filled with gangs and the chance of being cornered by them was high. The cost of meeting a gang was too high to risk. Jounouchi had to go somewhere else, but where? Where did he belong?

_(Two months pass by and it's getting cold_

_I know I'm not lost_

_I'm just alone)_

Jounouchi walked on the empty snow-covered sidewalk. It was late December now, almost Christmas. Jounouchi passed his empty house. A large white sign with blue bold letters reading SOLD hung on the door. He shook his head; there was no turning back now. His parents were gone, where too. Jounouchi couldn't even guess. 

Childhood memories plagued Jounouchi's mind. The play set where his sis and he used to play when they were young. The pond where he had brought his blind sister to feed the ducks at. Then there was the neighbor's house where Honda (Tristan) use to live. He had moved when Jounouchi was 9.

_(But I won't cry_

_I won't give up now_

_Waking up is knowing who you are)_

Jounouchi walked towards the play set and sat on the old swing. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks, but he refused to cry. He had to continue his flight from his life. Jounouchi sat there on the swing, too big for it and threatening to break it. After a few swings he got off and continued to walk towards the frozen pond.

The ducks were gone now, the surface was frozen. Some frozen bread lay trapped in the ice. He walked over to a tree near the pond and lay down. Jounouchi was so weak and so tired. He had lost at least 30pounds since running away. His body gave into it's weakness and allowed him to go to sleep. 

_(Here in the shadows_

_I'm safe_

_I'm free_

_I've nowhere else to go but_

_I cannot stay where I don't belong)_

Where did he belong? Jounouchi may have been free and safe from the parents he disliked so, but that didn't mean he was happy. Jounouchi was regretting ever running away. But he didn't think on it. Slowly he drifted back into a subconscious slumber. Meanwhile the snow drifted and fell onto the ground in large amounts.

_(Here in the shadows_

_I'm safe_

_I'm free_

_I've nowhere else to go but_

_I cannot stay where I don't belong)_

 Jounouchi began to miss his sis. She was blind and alone. Their parents paid little attention to Shizuka or Jounouchi. They had always let the two siblings go wherever they wanted. When Shizuka went blind, Jounouchi's mom had hired a tutor so Shizuka wouldn't miss out on the knowledge she would have learned at home. Sometimes friends from school would visit and help her out with the work. But Jounouchi was her true friend and had always been there for her. Jounouchi had failed her and he could only wonder if she was thinking about him. Maybe one day he would find her again. 

The shadows began to cover the ground as the sun sank beneath the dark horizon. The temperature began to drop with the sun. It was getting real cold now and the snow didn't help much.

_(Show me the shadow where true meaning lies_

_So much more is made in empty eyes)_

The temperature was in the negatives. The truth had been revealed to Jounouchi. He tried to get up but realized he couldn't. Snow covered his body and soaked his clothes freezing him even more. His whole body was numb and his thoughts became short. Jounouchi's vision blurred and faded. He had realized the truth too late. Jounouchi belonged with his family, not frozen in the snow alone and cold. Tears streamed down his face but froze instantly, stinging his eyes and cheeks. He missed his sis so much and his family. Where would he be right now if he hadn't run away? What would he be doing? It was too late now, he would never know the answers. At age 16 Jounouchi had learned that he was not where he belonged. His life could have gone so much better if only he had stayed at home. He had failed and for that he paid the price.

And on December 20, Katsuya Jounouchi died all alone on the snow regretting the decision he had made.

~#~%~^~&~*~(~)~_~+~!~

Rikku24: *sniffles* I'm so mean. 

Jounouchi: Was there moral to that?

Rikku24: Never run away ^_______________^

Jounouchi: I don't think that's a moral and if it is it was pretty plain. 

Rikku24: Yeah…

Malik: Did you know that High School drop outs make 42% less than graduates?

Rikku24: Yeah…I see that add everyday at school on Channel 1 **and** on T.V. It gets on my nerves.

Malik: It sounds annoying.

Jounouchi: I want a miniature wallet!

Rikku24: _ That add annoys me GREATLY. It's NOT supposed to PROMOTE dropping out!

Jounouchi: … Sorry

Rikku24: Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW! And tell me if it caused you to cry or not. Oh yeah, I might write a second chapter from Shizuka's point of view.


End file.
